Tag Archives: harry potter

Let’s be honest…we’ve all taken the Patronus Quiz on Pottermore, right? Were ya’ll as bummed with your Patronus as I was?

I mean, I was really excited to find out what my Patronus was, considering my spirit animal is the unicorn (you can find your own here!), but I was slightly disappointed to discover that my Patronus was a cat.

My disappointment was 2-fold:

What help would cats REALLY be against Dementors? A stag could charge it, a wolf or dog could attack it…but really what would my cat even do? Scratch out its non-existent eyeballs? Sit there quietly in judgement? Chuck hairballs at it?

Of course that doesn’t stop me from daydreaming of having a wolf or dog Patronus…and that’s where today’s craft comes in! Made using sparkling white felt (you could also use clay!), these Patronuses are great for hanging on gifts, on Christmas trees, or throwing at people who get you down! Expecto your Patronus on their face!!

To make the animal shapes, I just found animal silhouettes I liked online, then used them as a stencil to cut out my Patronuses. You can use plain thin felt, but if you can find the thicker cut felt, that’s the best kind for making shapes like this…and sharp scissors…crazy sharp.

Finally, you can use glitter to add a touch of sparkle to your animals, since we all know Patronuses dance in sparkly lights and smoke. The felt I found had sparkles already on it, so one step down, but you can always add your own sparkles with glitter or sparkle paint.

To make them into ornaments, just glue a small string to the back of each animal and you’re good to go!

The perfect gift for any Potter fan, these felt Patronus Ornaments are sure to keep bad thoughts and dreams at bay!

*Sidenote, about halfway through this project, I decided NOT to make ornaments, but something else instead…stay tuned for how I put my Patronus collection to work!

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

The third Harry Potter book is probably up there as one of my favorites. The 4th one is still my favorite, but Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is so ripe with great characters, amazing character development, and excellent storytelling (the background on Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, amiright?!).

If you’ve been keeping up with my blog recently, you know that I’ve been posting my musings as I re-read the Harry Potter series for the umpteenth billion time. If you’ve missed my other postings, you can check them out here:

And here lies my thoughts on book three, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Do you share or disagree with my thoughts, particularly my theory on that stupid cat, Crookshanks? Comment below and let me know!

I solemnly swear I’m up to no good…

Thoughts I’ve Had Reading Harry Potter Again as a 30-Something

Part 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Do all the photos in The Daily Prophet move the same way? Like, would a picture of Sirius Black on the front of one issue move the same way in all the papers or is each issue independent from the next?

“But how on earth was he going to persuade Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form?”
Um…MAGIC, PERHAPS??

Every time I read “Uncle Vernon”, this Tom Waits song plays in my head:

And I just imagine Vernon bouncing heavily around the house singing, “Uncle Vernon! Uncle Vernon!”

“There were no seats; instead, half a dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows.”
The Knight Bus sounds so magically perfect. Muggle buses need to get on dis shit.

“…and Hagrid was one of the bravest people Harry knew.”
Yet, 0% of Harry’s children are named Hagrid…

Why didn’t the Accidental Magic Reversal Department modify the memories of all the Dursley’s and not just Aunt Marge? That way none of them would remember “Aunt Marge’s Big Mistake”.

“Why would I go looking for someone I know wants to kill me?” said Harry blankly.
Well, if ya just did that, Harry, your story would have ended right here at this moment. AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER BECAUSE HARRY MINDED HIS OWN FUDGING BUSINESS.

So does anyone get injured or landed on when they make the jump into Platform 9¾? People are bound to get run over if they don’t get out of the way of the wall, right?

I find it hard to believe that Hermione didn’t know what a dementor was and that she didn’t recognize the Patronus charm when Lupin used it on the train…she knows the ancient history of Hogsmeade for God’s sake…

“…each pulled, Harry could only assume, by invisible horses, because when they climbed inside and shut the door, the coach set off all by itself, bumping and swaying in procession.”
Wouldn’t Harry be able to see the Thestrals even before Sirius dies since he technically saw his mom die?

Divination would probably be my favorite subject at Hogwarts.

If Dumbledore actually cared about any of his students other than Harry, couldn’t he use the tears of Faux to fix Malfoy’s arm and shut him the F up after Buckbeak’s attack?

Remus Lupin was probably the best teacher any of these kids ever had.

Neville’s grandma’s clothes are insane. A HAT WITH A STUFFED VULTURE ON TOP? Do you know how big a vulture is? How heavy is that hat?! Here’s a human with a vulture, for science:

I wonder what my Boggart would be…

CROOKSHANKS KNOWS SCABBERS IS AN ANIMAGUS. IS CROOKSHANKS ALSO AN UNREGISTERED ANIMAGUS?!?!?!?!!!! OMG…

I still don’t understand why wizards need a permission slip to visit Hogsmeade, but they have free reign of The Forbidden Forest, Knockturn Alley, Diagon Alley, and basically the entire Hogwarts campus.

“And I am telling you all to turn to page 394.”
If you don’t read that in Alan Rickman’s voice, there’s something wrong with you. #always ❤

“D’you know what that— (he called Snape something that made Hermione say “Ron!”)…”
CAULDRON BUM? BLASTENDED SKANK? WHAT WAS THE WIZARD SWEAR, RON??

“He handed them to her, and as the team watched in amazement, Hermione tapped them with her wand and said, ‘Impervius!’” “There!” she said, handing them back to Harry. “They’ll repel water!” “Wood looked as though he could have kissed her.”
Lucky girl…

Lupin: “I don’t pretend to be an expert at fighting dementors, Harry…quite the contrary…”
SAYS THE DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS TEACHER.

How did Fred and George know how to work the Marauder’s Map?

I wonder if they ever reversed or removed Peter Pettigrew’s Order of Merlin, First Class award after they learned the truth about him…

And here lies an awkward wizard boner: “She smiled at Harry as the teams faced each other behind their captains, and he felt a slight lurch in the region of his stomach that he didn’t think had anything to do with nerves.”

“The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your hippogriff at the Committee’s offices in London on that date.”
Exactly HOW will that happen?? Look how big this thing is!!

Reading how mean James and his friends were to Snape is heartbreaking, knowing Snape’s backstory now…

So in the book Hermione slaps Malfoy…but the punch in the movie is just SO much more effective…

Do any other teachers besides Snape and McGonagall give and take house points away?

“Then came Astronomy at midnight…”
IF I EVER HAVE AN ASTRONOMY FINAL EXAM AT MIDNIGHT AFTER A DAY OF OTHER EXAMS INCLUDING POTIONS…KILL ME.

Crookshanks is “friends” with Black’s animagus dog, tries to protect Black from Harry, and somehow knows something is up with Scabbers the rat…the proof is getting stronger and stronger that Crookshanks is an animagus, too…

FURTHERMORE…

“This cat—Crookshanks, did you call him?—told me Peter had left blood on the sheets…”
HE TOLD YOU? Of course he did, because he’s an animagus!!

I’m not giving up on this theory…it’s a good one, right??

Aww, thanks Ron! 😉

OOOH the things Wormtail must have seen as a rat growing up in a house of five young boys…

“Ah, well, Snape…Harry Potter, you know…we’ve all got a bit of a blind spot where he’s concerned.”
Ya don’t say??

I still have so many questions about this time changing thing…

“You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don’t recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself most plainly when you have need of him.”

The letter Sirius writes Harry at the end of this book still makes me cry…

Mischief Managed.

Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.

The sole reason I love Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is Gildroy Lockhart. He’s one of my favorite Harry Potter characters…you guys, I even got his card in my chocolate frog from Harry Potter World…this is not a joke.

So I was super pumped to dive back into Chamber of Secrets…and, per usual, Lockhart did not disappoint!

And since my random thoughts about Sorcerer’s Stone was so well-received (thanks, guys!!), I decided to continue tracking my thoughts of randomness as I dived into Chamber of Secrets. If you missed Part 1, be sure to check out my article on thoughts I’ve had reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Now, without further ado…

Thoughts I’ve Had Reading Harry Potter Again as a 30-Something

Part 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I wonder if Dudley ever got his pink tail removed…oh to be a fly on the wall during that examination…

How do Quidditch players practice Quiddich outside of school?

There is such beauty in the words used to describe the Dursley’s.

Dobby is like the Jar-Jar Binks of Harry Potter. Yes, yes he is.

Does the Weasley house look different to Muggles? Cuz if I came across this house on a jog…I’d have some questions…

But I have to say…the first visit to the Burrow makes me wanna be a Weasley…

WHY WAS THIS DEGNOMING SCENE NOT IN THE MOVIE?

“Arthur Weasley, you made sure there was a loophole when you wrote that law…just so you could carry on tinkering with all that Muggle rubbish in your shed!” Seems the Wizarding World is just as corrupt as the Muggle world!

GILDROY LOCKHART!

What did Hermione do on the train when Harry and Ron were flying the car to Hogwarts? Did she go compartment to compartment looking for them?

So what exactly happens when you ignore a Howler?

“Why,” demanded Ron, seizing her timetable, “have you outlined all Lockhart’s lessons in little hearts?”
I still love this line and chuckle every time I read it.

Can we just stop for a minute and really consider how terrifying mandrakes are? Like, really…

So there’s no amazing spell that Hermione can do to fix Ron’s wand? Nothing? Could he at least pull a Hagrid and put the pieces of his wand into a cane or an umbrella or something?

So how do families with non-wizard blood, like Hermione’s for example, know about Hogwarts? How did she know her letter from Hogwarts wasn’t just junk mail?

I wonder what else Hagrid has used his Engorgement charm on…

“What’s that funny clicking noise?” called Fred, as they hurtled around the corner.

So food appears out of nowhere in the Great Hall…but they still need Filch to clean and polish everything? I mean, even Molly Weasley has cleaning spells in her house!

I wanna go to a Death Day Party!

HOW DID GILDROY LOCKHART GET THIS JOB?

So Harry finds out he’s a Parselmouth and all the professors are just gonna let this go? No one’s gonna say anything? No? OK, moving on…

Oh the innuendos in this book…

So what are the rules with this Polyjuice potion? How much of you REALLY changes? Like, if Hermione wanted to turn into Harry, would she grow a penis? And if she did, would she be able to…use it? Would she have sperm? Could she get someone pregnant? Also, how much do you need for a full transformation? What’s the equivalent of “1 cup” in the Wizarding World? A goblet? A toadstool? A pically? A flibbityjibbit? Though, they are British so they probably use the metric system…ugh so many questions!

FURTHERMORE, since Harry and Ron had Crabbe and Goyle’s voice when they changed, wouldn’t Hermione have the voice of a cat after her transformation?

Also, these kids had a MONTH to brew this potion…it never occurred to them to MAYBE investigate where the Slytherin common room was ahead of time?

“The moment their acne clears up, they’ll be ready for repotting again,” Harry heard her telling Filch kindly one afternoon. “And after that, it won’t be long until we’re cutting them up and stewing them.”
But seriously…these mandrakes! Messed. Up.

ARAGOG – AND THIS ENTIRE SCENE – IS LITERALLY THE WORST.

How did NO ONE see the basilisk just slithering around the hallways of Hogwarts? I know it moved around in the pipes…but it attacked people IN THE HALLWAYS OF THE SCHOOL. How does this happen??

So…clearly these professors knew about the Chamber of Secrets – therefore knew about the basilisk – so why not just fill the school with roosters since their call is deadly to the snake?

OK, I know it’s revealed later that Percy was just making out with a girl, but can we talk about the phrasing here? I mean…this certainly implies he was by himself…stroking his wand or whatever euphemism they have for masturbating in the Wizarding World:

OOOOH SO THE FACE IN THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS IS SALAZAR SLYTHERIN’S FACE!!! Don’t know how I missed that the first go-around.

“It’s our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
Smartest quote in this book.

Sometimes you just need a little fun in your life! Check back every week for a new “Just Bee-cause” post, where I discuss everything from celebrity news to favorite videos and websites!

A couple months ago, my sister and I got back from an epically splendiferious adventure to Harry Potter World Orlando. We were completely immersed in the Wizarding World for three magical days. We sipped butterbeer, got fitted for wands, and dined at The Leaky Cauldron. We walked through Hogwarts, road the Hogwarts Express, and even took a walk through Gringotts Bank. It was truly a wonderland for us Potterheads…and I still find myself daydreaming about how much fun we had on that trip.

Needless to say, I returned with a deep desire to jump back into the Harry Potter series. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read Harry Potter, but since I’m now in my 30’s and considered an adult (boo), I tried recording some thoughts that popped into my head as I re-read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

I also decided to invest in the illustrated editions of the first two Harry Potter books (the third one is due out later this year!), so I’ve also included some beautiful illustrations from the book in case you haven’t seen how insanely amazing this book is…

Despite some of my commentary here, I have to say that I love this series even more now than I did when I first read it. I think I have a deeper understanding for the language and the story now, and as a student of literature, I feel like I can better understand the depth of the characters and how 3-dimentional they were, even before the first movie came out.

The themes that softly hide under the bigger messages about friendship and bravery are what really make this series for me, particularly in Sorcerer’s Stone. The Mirror of Erised chapter still remains one of my favorite parts of the series, and Dumbledore’s simple message, “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live…”, has stayed with me since the moment I read it all those years ago.

Harry’s struggle to accept the fact that his parents are dead also hit me in a different way this time…as I felt like I could relate to Harry in a way I couldn’t before. What I originally thought was an annoying quality in his character had morphed into something much more understandable this time around, and I found myself sympathizing with Harry, perhaps even relating to him.

I hope you enjoy these fun little thoughts that popped into my head as I re-read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone! Stay tuned for part 2, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, coming soon!

Thoughts I’ve Had Reading Harry Potter Again as a 30-Something

Part 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Why didn’t Hagrid tell Harry how to get onto the platform?

If Voldemort truly wanted to kill Harry, was a spell REALLY necessary? I mean he was one year old!

How did NO ONE see a whole slew of wizards running into a wall in the busy London underground?

What is the point of bringing a toad to Hogwarts?

Is there a deeper meaning to “Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”? Am I missing something? TO POTTERMORE!! (the theories on this are a bit of a stretch…but interesting!).

How do they keep track of House Points? Are Professors responsible for keeping track of how many points they give and take?

Can we just agree that the Remembrall is literally the most pointless invention ever?

Did Hermione rock out to The Spice Girls?

How can Harry be the greatest Seeker in a century and not be able to catch an envelope from an air full of envelopes?

I would just like to point out that in the illustrated version of Sorcerer’s Stone, you can see that there’s a beer shop under the bookstore. This, IMHO, is brilliant.

Dumbledore: “And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.” Da-fuk kind of school is this?

The first-years were 11 when they just left their homes for like 8 months of the year. Did any first-years have separation anxiety from their parents?

If every door in the castle can be opened with ‘Alohomora’, including the one with the 3-headed dog behind it, why do these doors even have locks on them? Take a lesson from Gringotts, guys!

Man, it takes a long time for this wizard trinity to become official friends.

I wonder if Ron and Hermione reminisce about the first time they met on the train…

The Mirror of Erised is still one of my favorite Harry Potter chapters.

Neville is adorable.

HOLD ON…Harry gets caught out of bed at night and gets 150 points taken away from Gryffindor AND has detention in the Forbidden Forest AND has to face Voldemort?? He only got 10 points for saving Hermione’s LIFE! Someone NEEDS to sort out her priorities!

How does the Sorcerer’s Stone even work? How does it turn any metal into gold and produce the Elixir of Life? Is this like a stone soup thing?

How did Quirrell survive with a face on the back of his face? How did he shower or sleep or poop?

ALAS, EARWAX!!

Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.

Like this:

Founded by Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – the educational system in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series – is divided into four houses or communities, each named after one of the founding members of the school.

When students come to Hogwarts, they are sorted into one of four houses, so labeled Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own qualities and dynamics and students are sorted based on whether or not they share those qualities with any given house.

Each house has its own mascot and house colors. Gryffindor’s sport maroon and gold wearables, while Hufflepuff students wears black and yellow. Ravenclaws are silver and blue and Slytherins are green and silver.

Whether it’s walking the halls of Hogwarts or attending a Quidditch game, each student is extremely loyal to their house and they wear their house colors proudly…and these little teddy bears are no exception!

Each wearing a turtle neck in the Hogwarts house colors, these little crocheted teddy bears are beaming with house pride!

Sold as a set of 4, these crocheted teddy bears are available for sale at my Between the Pages Etsy shop. Head on over and check them out!

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

Every true Harry Potter fan knows about the four Marauders. A group of Gryffindor friends made up of Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter, the four attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the 1970s and had a serious knack for rule-breaking…

The truest of friends during their time at Hogwarts, Pettigrew, Black, and Potter all became unregistered Animagi (a wizard who can turn into an animal) in order to protect their friend, Lupin, who was a werewolf. Pettigrew’s Animagus was a rat, making him small enough to slip under the Whomping Willow so the group could go to the Shrieking Shack, where Lupin would stay during his time as a werewolf. Black – a dog – and Potter – a stag – were both big enough as animals to help control Remus during his monthly transformations.

In order to protect their identity, the four Marauders gave each other names that nodded to their animal counterparts. Throughout the Harry Potter series, these four are known as Moony (Lupin), Wormtail (Pettigrew), Padfoot (Black) and Prongs (Potter).

Towards the end of their education, Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James created the Marauder’s Map, a small, bewitched roll of parchment that displayed the castle grounds and inhabitants of Hogwarts – including all staff, ghosts, and students – in great detail. It showed where everyone was in the castle so the boys could continue their mischievous ways without getting caught, as well as help Lupin escape the castle when the full moon rose and he would begin his transformation.

At an unspecified point in time, the map was discovered and confiscated by Hogwarts caretaker, Argus Filch…and remained in his custody until Fred and George Weasley stole the map in their first year and later passed it on to James’s son, Harry, in 1993.

Much of the history of the Four Marauders is introduced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and continues to come up now and again throughout the remainder of the story.

Designed to pay homage to the four Marauder’s, these stacking bowls each feature the name of one of the Marauder’s, as well as the footprint of their animal counterparts on the back.

Looking for a cute and easy gift idea for the bookworm in your life? Look no further, because these little book cover charms are just the most adorable thing in the universe.

Everyone loves a gift that’s meaningful and budget-friendly, and that’s exactly what this Harry Potter Book Cover Charms Set is…

Made using a template and Polymer clay, these little charms can be used as ornaments, gift tags, or even wine charms for a literary party (I’m talking to you, book clubbers!).

I’ve attached the template I created to make these Harry Potter books, but you could make charms with any book covers you’d like! How cute would these look hanging from a Christmas tree or birthday gift? I’m just in love with them!

I used regular printer paper to create these little charms, but if you can print on stiffer paper or cardstock, that might work better. The printer paper was a bit flimsy and didn’t really stick to the clay, but that’s nothing a little Mod Podge can’t fix! I’m gonna try cardstock next time and see if that works any better.

I literally can’t wait to create more of these little book charms! I might even make a garland that I can hang around my bookshelves or around my Christmas tree next year!

Harry Potter Book Cover Charms

Print out your book covers on thick paper or cardstock, if you can. Regular paper will work, but the stiffer paper will work better. Cut out your book covers.

Roll out your clay to about 1/4 in. thickness. Place your book covers on the clay and, using your clay roller, gently press the covers into the clay. It won’t be a secure stick, but the paper will stick better as the charms bake. Using the craft knife, cut out the covers.

Using the leftover clay, create seven little discs, about the size of your pinky nail. These will help secure the string to the back of the charm.

Bake your covers and discs following package instructions. Watch your clay, though. It may bake a lot faster than you think!

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Once cool, use a brush to add a thin layer of Mod Podge to the top of each book cover. This will give your books a nice shine and will also help secure the paper to the clay. Let dry.

Turn your covers over and add a small amount of tacky glue to the back. Cut a piece of baker’s twine, about 3 – 4 in. long. Fold in half. Place two ends in glue, making sure loop rises above your charm. Secure twine with small clay disc. Let dry completely.

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.